Policy Analysis

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  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Iran’s New President Must Navigate Dangerous Waters

    Aug 1, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    For the third time in the young history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a political leader identified with the “Reformist” camp has won the presidency. Masoud…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Israel Has Opted for War on All Fronts

    Jul 31, 2024Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Imad K. Harb Yousef Munayyer Hanna Alshaikh

    Israel's assassination of Hamas’s Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr is an unwarranted escalation that could lead t…

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arab WorldUS Domestic Politics and Elections

    Middle East Leaders Prefer Trump’s Victory

    Jul 24, 2024Gregory Aftandilian

    Donald J. Trump’s candidacy seems to draw more interest and support from the Middle East than from other areas of the world, particularly from among the ruling…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    Difficulties Facing a US-Saudi Security Agreement

    Jun 25, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    The search for a US-brokered Saudi-Israeli deal to normalize relations has assumed outsized significance in the administration’s approach to the Middle East.

  • Policy Analysis
    The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfEnergy and Economics

    Exploring the Options: Arab Oil Exporters and the US Dollar

    Jun 21, 2024Jim Krane

    The pricing of oil in US dollars is one of the perks the United States enjoys due to its status as the world’s largest economy and to the dollar’s role as the …

  • Policy Analysis

    Bracing for the Sandstorm: The Gulf Energy Transition Imperative

    Jun 6, 2024

    Before the 2008-2009 financial crisis, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)…

  • Policy Analysis
    KuwaitDemocracy and Governance

    The Supremacy of Executive Power in Kuwait

    Jun 4, 2024Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

    Two decades of political turbulence in Kuwait came to a head on the evening of May 10 when Emir Mishal al-Ahmad Al-Sabah announced he was suspending the Nation…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Will Ebrahim Raisi’s Death Help Ultra-Hardliners ‘Make Iran Great Again’?

    May 31, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    The May 19 deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a fiery helicopter crash has created a challenge that Iran’s lead…

  • Policy Analysis
    UAERegional Relations and Geopolitics

    UAE Restricts US Military Strikes from Its Territory

    May 22, 2024Gregory Aftandilian

    Fearing an attack by Iran or its allied militias in the region, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has restricted US military aircraft from targeting these proxy g…

  • Policy Analysis

    Determinants of Saudi Arabia’s Response to the Gaza War

    May 22, 2024

    Following Hamas’s “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, Saudi Arabia publicly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and blamed it for escalating tensions, desp…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaUS Foreign Policy

    The Gaza Crisis Pushes Washington and Riyadh Closer

    May 15, 2024Daniel Brumberg

    Hamas’s May 6 acceptance of a hostage deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar was surely designed to induce the White House to pressure Israel to produce a counteroff…

  • Policy Analysis
    YemenConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Divergent Saudi-Emirati Agendas Cripple Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council

    May 15, 2024Afrah Nasser

    Two years into its existence, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) still has not effectively addressed critical problems facing the country: a dire ec…